“Let me know how I can help,” Anderson said.
I left them to go change out of my wrinkled tuxedo and shower. By the time I was done and dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, Avery had arrived.
“Let’s talk in my office.” I directed him and Anderson toward the tasting room where my office was located. Behind closed doors, I relayed the story about day Palmer killed Private Taggart with friendly fire and how I covered for him but forced him to resign.
“Jackson thinks he resents me,” I explained. “I don’t see how. I saved his ass. If he’d stayed in the Army, he would have been a ticking time bomb.”
“We’ll just have to ask him,” Avery said coolly. “I have a meeting arranged with him and my lawyer. If you’re not going to press charges, then we can still nail him.”
“I talked to one of the nurses last night about having a blood test done to detect any sort of drug in my system,” I told them, “But she said those ‘date rape’ drugs metabolize quickly and it’s impossible to detect.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Avery said. “We have Palmer’s text message to Cami. I had her screenshot them last night and send them to me. If he didn’t set you up, then how else would he know what Nikki was up to?”
“I also overheard something,” Anderson chimed in. “I found Garrett stumbling around and managed to get him seated. When I left him to go and get help, I saw Nikki and Palmer talking. She said something like, ‘he’s ready, let’s go’ and then grabbed his hand, and they left. I didn’t know where they went because I was busy trying to find someone to help me.”
“All of this works in our favor,” Avery said confidently.
“He’s going to put up a fight,” I told them. “He was livid when I told him he needed to leave the Army.”
Avery clamped a hand over my shoulder and looked me square in the eye. “Trust me, he’s never dealt with anyone like me before. I can assure you that, when I need to be, I’m scarier than anything he’s ever seen out on the battlefield.”
Avery left soon after inquiring about Cami’s health and congratulating me on becoming a father. I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face. I was so happy. We talked once about having a child together, and Cami was hesitant then because we were just starting our life together. I’m sure those same hesitations never really went away because my own desire to have a family never disappeared. Just because we’d talked about it didn’t mean I didn’t want it or think about it. Every now and then, when we were walking through the property, I’d imagine her barefoot and pregnant. It was a cliché, but when I pictured Cami with her curls loose and flowing and her belly swollen with our child, nothing could be more beautiful.
Before I returned to the hospital, I packed her a small bag. I didn’t think she’d want to wear the hospital gown the entire time she was there, and I knew she was making her way through several different books. I put her books and a few pairs of pretty pajamas she never seemed to wear in a small bag. On the way, I stopped at a local floral stand I knew Cami loved and picked up a bouquet of roses in a fiery peach color; the same color as the sky when the sun set over the vineyard.
Chapter Thirty
Cami
Every time the nurse came by with a bit of broth for me to try to keep down, it came right back up. Nothing stayed down, not even with the anti-nausea medication I was receiving intravenously. Dr. Horton stopped by once later in the morning to check on my progress but told me he wasn’t too concerned about my inability to keep down a few spoonsful of broth. My mother arrived not long after Garrett left, which was comforting. I didn’t want to be alone in the hospital for very long. I was tired and weak and ached, so there wasn’t much for her to do for me beyond sitting next to me and holding my hand while I dozed for the next few hours.
“How is she doing?” I heard Garrett’s whispered voice while I dozed but couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes.
“She’s been sleeping, and she hasn’t kept anything down,” my mother told him in a low tone.
I shifted in the uncomfortable bed, and I felt a strong, soothing hand brush my hair away from my face. “Thank you for staying with her,” Garrett said. “I hated the thought of her being here alone.”
“I can stay a few more days, if you want.”
There were more murmured words, but they were hard to hear as I drifted deeper into a dreamless sleep.
I woke up in a panic. The room was silent, and the shade was drawn over the window, darkening the room. My mother and Garrett were nowhere in sight, and I started to worry I imagined their conversation because there was no sign that Garrett had returned. On top of my panic, I felt woozy. And I was so very tired of feeling nauseous.
“Garrett,” I croaked as I clutched the rails on the side of the bed to sit up. I pushed aside the blankets and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. Grabbing onto the IV pole, I made my way over to the bathroom. Making it all the way to the toilet to puke instead of puking into a tan colored basin was an improvement. I was all about celebrating small victories.
I gripped the railing next to the toilet, hoping the queasy feeling would subside because if I was going to get down on the cold, tile floor, then getting up was going to prove difficult.
“Garrett,” I croaked again, this time a little louder which seemed to intensify the queasiness in my stomach. I braced my hands on the toilet seat and stooped over the toilet as I dry heaved. My stomach convulsed but nothing came out except saliva.
I felt him before I saw him. Garrett’s strong arm wrapped around my back and held me as I continued to dry heave.
“It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you,” he whispered. “I’m here.”
With Garrett’s guidance, I sunk to the floor and crawled into his lap. I shivered against the warmth of his embrace as he stroked my hair, and I couldn’t stop myself from crying and confessing my worst fear.
“I thought I’d imagined you again,” I sobbed. “I heard you talking to my mom, but when I woke up, you weren’t here, and I thought my imagination was playing tricks on me.”
“I wasn’t gone very long. I just walked your mom out to the car, that’s all,” he explained in a soothing tone.
It felt like I had been asleep for hours when, according to Garrett, I had only been asleep for minutes.
“Do you want to get back in bed?” he asked after a while.
“Yes,” I mumbled.
He nudged me off his lap and stood before bending to scoop me into his arms. I pushed my IV pole with us as we walked back to the bed.
“Do you want to change? I brought you some pajamas.”
I shook my head. “No. I feel awful, and until I shower, I don’t want to wear the cute pajamas I know you brought for me to wear.”
I chuckled. She had an entire drawer of pajamas that she never wore because she always ended up sleeping in one of my T-shirts. “When the nurse comes back, we’ll ask her about a shower, okay?”
I dangled my feet from the edge of the bed before swinging them up. Garrett arranged the blankets around my legs and tucked me in gently.
We talked about absolutely nothing. He told me the house was clean, and the party had been cleared away with impressive precision. He said Anderson didn’t burn the house down or steal any valuables.
“Although I think something might have happened between him and your sister,” he said. “They kept looking at each other and smiling. It was weird.”
“She deserves some fun,” I replied lazily.
“Getting tired?” he asked, brushing my hair back away from my face.
“Mmhmm.”
“Then go to sleep. I’ll be here for a while.”
“For a while? Not all day?”
He frowned. “I have to meet Avery at his office at three. So I have to leave for a bit.”
“Does it have to do with Palmer?”
He nodded slowly. “Yes, it does. Avery and his lawyer arranged the meeting.”
“Are you going to tell me about it?”
“
Not until you’re stronger. I don’t want to upset you.”
“It’ll upset me if you keep secrets from me,” I snapped.
Garrett sighed and perched himself on the edge of my bed. He took my hand and rubbed the back of it with his thumb. “I called Jackson earlier today to see if he could help me figure out why Palmer has been so malicious. I mean, what he and Nikki conspired to do was awful.”
“Did Jackson have any ideas?”
Garrett sucked his bottom lip between his front teeth and then let it pop out. “Yeah, he remembered something.” I opened my mouth to ask for more details, but he placed his finger over my lips. “Don’t even think about asking because it will upset you. Cami, you need to relax. Please, all of this worrying and stress can’t be good for you or the baby.”
I flicked my eyes up in annoyance because I hated that he was right. He was saved from my pestering by a knock on the door. One of the nurses popped her head in and smiled sympathetically. “I’m just checking in to see if you wanted to try a bit more broth again,” she asked.
“Not yet,” I told her. I’d just got settled in bed. I didn’t want to ruin it by darting into the bathroom.
“Well, I do have a little treat,” she said, walking farther into the room. “I thought about what helped me when I was pregnant, and I used to suck on ice cubes made from Gatorade. I brought you just a few to try.”
She placed a plastic cup on the tray table next to my bed, and I reached for it. There were three small pale purple cubes stacked inside. I picked one up between my fingers and popped it into my mouth. I moaned because it tasted heavenly after the broth and vomit.
“Don’t overdo it,” she warned. “Just a little bit at a time.”
I sucked on the ice cube slowly as it melted in my mouth. “Thank you. These taste amazing.”
She laughed. “I’m pretty sure anything would taste amazing right about now.”
She was totally right. I let the first ice cube settle in my stomach before popping another in my mouth. I groaned in delight, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I saw Garrett smile. It lit up his entire face and reached the corners of his eyes. I reached out and placed a hand on his scruffy cheek.
“I’m sorry this has been so difficult,” I whispered.
“Nothing worth having is ever easy,” he replied. “And you and this baby and Sorenson Cellars are definitely worth having.”
Garrett’s dad appeared a little while after the nurse left. He carried a large canvas shopping bag in one hand and a large bouquet in the other.
“Well, I see someone has beat me to the punch.” He nodded toward the beautiful peach roses sitting in a makeshift vase next to my bed.
“I’ll go and find another plastic pitcher,” Garrett said.
Jacob Hammond lifted the canvas tote. “I brought you some fresh lemons. They always helped my wife, Olivia, when she sick during her pregnancies. She used to slice them up and place them in a bowl of water next to our bed every night. She said that just smelling them helped.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“Maybe the nurses could cut some up for you and put them in your water,” he suggested.
Garrett returned with another plastic pink watcher pitcher and filled it before taking the gorgeous bouquet of wildflowers from his father. He set them down next to the roses, and they looked perfect next to each other.
“Dad, do you think you can stay with Cami for a bit while I run out to meet Avery?” Garrett asked his father.
“Oh, well, I suppose I could, if that’s all right with Cami.”
“Of course, it is as long as you promise to tell me absolutely everything about Garrett.”
Jacob raised his eyebrows. “The good and the bad?”
“All of the dirty details,” I answered with a gleeful giggle.
“I need to go, baby,” Garrett said with a hesitant look in his eye. Was he really that worried about what his father might say? He leaned across me and planted a soft kiss on my lips. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Ask the nurses about taking a shower, and I’ll help when I get back.”
I cupped his face and kissed him again. “Please,” I said. That was all I said because I didn’t know what I quite asking for. Please don’t hurt Palmer even though he tried to ruin us? Please don’t do anything to get hurt because you’re going to be a father? Whatever I was trying to ask, he seemed to understand.
Chapter Thirty-One
Garrett
“Don’t do a damn thing,” Avery instructed me with the fierceness of a father. “You let me and my lawyer do all of the talking.”
I huffed impatiently because this was my life. How was I supposed to sit across the table from Palmer and not react? My fingers flexed along the arms of the chair. “Fine,” I growled.
We were joined by Avery’s lawyer, Martin Lansing, as well as Anderson and another man who wore the black robe of a judge.
“Who’s that guy?” I asked Avery quietly.
“That is the Honorable James Franklin. He’s a good friend of mine.”
“Is it necessary to have a judge present?”
“Yes. If you want Palmer to believe he has no other choice than to relinquish his interest in your company or face jail time, then yes.”
As if on cue, a court reporter entered the room and set up her stenography machine in one corner.
“Now, all we do is wait for Palmer to show up,” I said, leaning against my chair. A nervous sweat prickled along my hairline. What if something went wrong? What if I didn’t get that ten percent back?
Palmer was half an hour late. And when he walked in the room, his self-satisfied expression faltered a bit. He looked around the room, and the smugness returned.
“All this for me?” he asked, his eyes landing on me.
My nostrils flared, but I remained silent.
“Please have a seat, Mr. Grayson,” Judge Franklin said, indicating the row of empty chairs across from Avery, Anderson, and me. The judge sat at the head of the table, ready to preside over this charade.
Palmer sat down, his lips still fixed in a confident smirk. “I guess I should have brought my lawyer too.”
“No need for that, Palmer,” Avery said. “We’ll give you plenty of time to review the deal we’re offering with your own lawyer.”
“And what is it you’re offering?” he asked. His gaze never seemed to leave me, challenging me. I accepted his challenge and returned his hard stare. But I also kept my mouth shut as Avery instructed.
“Give up the ten percent interest of Sorenson Cellars,” Avery stated.
“What’s in it for me?”
“You avoid prison time.”
“For what crime?”
“Drugging a person is second degree assault,” the lawyer, Martin, chimed in. “It’s a felony, and you could face up to ten years in prison.”
For a moment, Palmer’s expression faltered. His lip trembled slightly, and he tugged uncomfortably at the collar of his shirt. He knew he was caught.
“You don’t have any proof,” he stated coolly.
“Mr. Clark has provided a statement regarding what he witnessed last night at the Sorenson Cellars grand opening,” Martin said. “We also have text messages sent from your phone with pictures implicating Mr. Hammond in an illicit affair with a woman named Nikki Rosemont.”
“Those text messages prove nothing. I was unfortunate enough to catch Garrett in a very unflattering situation, and I thought his fiancée should know what he was doing behind her back.”
I hammered my fist down onto the table. “I didn’t do a goddamn thing with Nikki!”
“You should have let me die!” Palmer roared, uncharacteristically and unexpectedly. He shook with nerves and sweat beaded along his brow. “You should have let me die, Garrett.”
“No, Palmer. You deserved to live.”
“Live? I haven’t been living! I’m a fucking disgrace, Garrett. A goddamn phony and I would have died with dignity if you had let me. Instea
d, I’ve been completely consumed with guilt and anger. That’s not living, Garrett.”
I sat back down, still seething with anger but stunned. Was that how he really felt? Was his relentless pursuit of Cami and his dogged determination to hurt me just a sick form of punishment because he thought I denied him an honorable death?
The room felt heavy after Palmer’s outburst. Eyes danced around the room, shifting uncomfortably from one person to the next. No one knew what to say or where to look.
“Now, Mr. Grayson, these are some terrible accusations being raised against you,” Judge Franklin finally said. “But Mr. Morgan, Mr. Clark, and Mr. Hammond have provided some very compelling evidence that seems to prove your guilt.”
“I’m not finished building the house,” Palmer said, his voice hollow and weak.
“I’ll continue to employ your company, Palmer,” Avery assured him. He held up a finger though and continued. “Provided you leave the jobsite and send another project manager to oversee the project.”
“And all of this is in writing?” Gone was Palmer’s smirk and cool, confident exterior. Instead, Palmer was sweating and uncomfortable.
“Right here,” Martin said, sliding the agreement across the table to him. Palmer lifted two fingers to catch the documents. His eyes flicked down to scan what was written.
Abruptly, Palmer stood, collecting the paperwork in his hand. “I’ll be in touch.” And then he left.
“That was too easy,” I said as soon as he cleared the door. “He never backs down that easily from a fight.”
“Don’t question it, just thank your lucky stars, son,” Judge Franklin said. He looked at Avery with impassiveness. “Am I done here?”
“Yes, your honor. Thank you,” Avery said.
“You owe me.”
“I’ll send a case of the reserve blend in the morning.”
Judge Franklin pointed at me, and said, “He owes me too.”
“He’ll send a case too,” Avery answered for me.
After the judge left, the court reporter left as well. Martin didn’t stay long either. He provided me with a copy of the agreement presented to Palmer, and then he was gone.
Just Like Love (Just Like This Book 2) Page 18